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Custodian helmet or centurion helmet is a helmet worn by many policemen in England and Wales.
History
The custodian helmet is the traditional headgear of the "bobby on the beat", worn by male constables and sergeants on foot patrol in England and Wales (a peaked cap is worn by officers on mobile patrol in cars). The custodian helmet is also worn by the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police (in England and Wales only), the States of Jersey Police, the States of Guernsey Police Service, the Isle of Man Constabulary, the Royal Gibraltar Police, and the Bermuda Police. Special Constables formerly did not wear helmets, but most forces in England and Wales now issue them to male specials. The wearing of this style of helmet led Criminal Investigation Department personnel to call their uniformed colleagues "woodentops". The custodian helmet was adopted by the Metropolitan Police in 1863 to replace the top hat formerly worn, and other forces soon followed suit.
Description
The helmet is traditionally made of cork covered outside by felt or serge-like material that matches the tunic. Inside, the brim is faced with a plain material and a leather headband adjusts the fit. The top of the helmet may have a comb and crest, a ball or a simple helmet boss. Of the 43 Home Office territorial forces in England and Wales, 21 currently use the comb style, eighteen use the boss style, and four use the ball style. Some forces wore spikes on top of the helmet, although these have now been phased out.
The helmet is kept on by a thin chinstrap, though a more secure fitting was developed to keep the helmet on when it was used in riot control situations before specialist helmets were adopted. Some helmets have two chinstraps, a single strap for normal use and one with a double strap and chin cup, which can be folded up inside the helmet when not in use, for more strenuous activity. Many officers choose not to use the chin strap.
All forces except the City of London Police, Hampshire Constabulary and West Mercia Constabulary use the Brunswick star as the basis for their helmet plate.
Helmets closely following the British model were widely worn by the police forces of Canada, Australia and New Zealand from the late nineteenth century on. These were eventually discarded as being inconvenient to wear when in vehicles or providing insufficient protection from the sun when on foot patrol. The New Zealand Police retained a white version until the 1990s.
Use in other countries
Some Italian municipal police forces use a white custodian helmet, particularly when directing traffic.
See also
References
- Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, City of London, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Kent, Merseyside, Norfolk, Northumbria, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Thames Valley, West Mercia, West Yorkshire, Gwent, South Wales. Also used by Jersey, Port of Liverpool, and Port of Dover
- Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Metropolitan, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Wiltshire, Dyfed-Powys. Also used by British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Port of Tilbury, Falmouth Docks, Guernsey, Gibraltar, and Bermuda.
- Devon and Cornwall, Humberside, Nottinghamshire, North Wales. Also used by the Isle of Man.